Image via Essay House Facebook
Starving artists take note; you too can someday own a house. After 2 years on the market, the the Brydges of small-town Aylmer, Ontario are experimenting with an unconventional way of passing on the deed to their house and raising funds to purchase a new one in Barrie. The couple has launched an essay contest calling for entrance to explain why they are most worthy of getting the house, and how it would benefit their lives most of all other contestants. The idea for the contest came to the Brydes after watching 1996’s The Spitfire Grill, in which a restaurant is the reward for an essay contest.
Currently, the semi-retired Brydges have received about 200 entries. If they reach 3,000, they will pick a winner and use the proceeds of the $100 contest entrance fee (that’s approximatel the $300,000 asking price on their house at present) to purchase a new home. The contest ends on August 31st and if 3,000 entires are not received by then, entrance fees will be returned to contestants. The couple undertook months of legal consultations to ensure the validity of the contest.
Aylmer has a population of just over 7,000 people and was a historic farming community. It also has a large Mennonite population. The house is a 3-bedroom brick bungalow on a 3/4 acre lot and comes with an above-ground swimming pool.
[via Globe and Mail]
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Eva Voinigescu is an intern at Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter @EvaVoinigescu.
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